EU Palm Oil Buyers Urged to Care About Farmers

“Palm oil farmers' empowerment should be initiated," said Secretary General of the Oil Palm Farmers Association (SPKS), Mansuetus Darto, in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in an official statement received by InfoSAWIT, Friday (6/14/2019).

Second, the platform of palm oil buyers/buyers that has so far committed to implementing sustainability, in fact, has not been felt by small legal farmers in Indonesia and has not touched on price improvements, so palm oil buyers must openly ask companies that are supplied by small farmers to buy directly from the farmers' oil palm FFB at a price in accordance with market principles and government.

Third, palm oil buyers/buyers should know that by selling FFB directly to the factory will be able to increase farmer income by 20-30% of the current FFB price.

Fourth, palm oil buyers/bayers ensure that farmers who protect HCS forests are equal to farmers who obtain RSPO certificates. Because in the field conditions, it is actually the farmers who protect HCS forests who are more sustainable. "Farmers like this have not obtained sustainable certificates because they consider the costs to be expensive. So, a model and other approach is needed which is equal to sustainable palm oil principles," said Darto.

Then fifth, palm oil buyers/Buyers must openly request Indonesian palm oil companies for their needs from small farmers and appropriate prices as part of their market access principles. "The solution to traceability of direct sales to the factory will be able to increase farmer income by 20-30% of the current FFB price," said Darto.

Source: Infosawit.com